Pine Creek

Pine creek is the home of the Hooded Parrot so a two day stopover here was on the agenda just to find this parrot. It has a very small range and is one of the rare birds of Australia. Local help was not much good in pinpointing the area the birds frequented. I did however get given a location by a fellow bird photographer while I was in Mataranka which yielded success. These parrots seem to travel in small flocks of two to six birds but when they feed the flock increases to around 50 birds. I counted 44 birds in the flock that I managed to come upon feeding. This is probably like a family group going to a restaurant in human terms. I also noticed a lack in the number of mature male birds in the flocks. I found a group of around twenty birds on the second morning and there were no mature males in this group at all. When I later spoke to a local he agreed that there appeared to be one mature mail parrot for every ten parrots in the area. The majority of the parrots in the area were female or Juvenile birds.

Hooded Parrot

I also managed to photograph the Northern Rosella, The bar Breasted Honeyeater and the Red Browed Pardalote while I was here.

Nothern Rosella Red Browed Pardalote

Except for the birds, Pine creek does not have much to offer the tourist. There is still an operating gold mine in the area and a mining museum and a Railway museum which displays the old steam train used in the film, “We of the Never Never”

We of the Never Never train

Umbrawarra Gorge, south west of the settlement is worth a visit. This gorge retains several waterholes in the dry season but at present it is still running due to recent rains. It is also a Mecca for wildlife. The bright orange gravellier trees were right through the gorge and providing a food source for the honeyeaters in the area.

Umbrawarra Gorge

Umbrawarra Gorge